FAIRFAX, Iowa - The City of Fairfax is taking a unique approach to public safety.

The mayor and city council have noticed an uptick in crime as the city grows. It's currently home to about 2,100 people. Census data shows the population has more than doubled since 1990.

Right now the city contracts with the Linn County Sheriff's Office for patrol service, but they decided they wanted additional enforcement as waves of vandalism and theft started to surface.

A couple weeks ago, for example, Mike Sankot realized his family's garage business was missing something.

"We figure it's around $500 worth," Sankot said.

Someone was stealing from the pile of scrap metal. The Sankot family put up cameras. Shortly after, the sheriff's department caught the criminals. Sankot said the city needs to do something as the city grows.

"They definitely need some eyes and ears around town," Sankot said.

City leaders thought the same thing. At the beginning of July, they started paying for extra security for the community.

"We wanted to be kind of progressive with it and come up with an opportunity that when people lay down and go to sleep at night, they know we have somebody out there," said City Councilman Marc Magers.

The council and mayor opted to hired a private company, Per Mar Security, to help keep watch. It's the same group that provides security during county fairs and at businesses in Eastern Iowa. This job, however, is a little different.